“This project was both debated and enjoyed by the jury. Choosing not to change or impact the existing building nor the street allowed the architects to explore playful ideas. The light touch of the structure in relation to the existing home allows this project to ‘hover’ while not overtly changing the human scale.”
— Monica Chadha, AIA
Location Austin
Client Dylan Robertson and Annie Cobb
Architect Nicole Blair
Design Team Nicole Blair, AIA
Contractor Nicole Blair
Structural Engineer Structures
Landscape Architect D-Crain
The Perch is a 660-sf studio built as flex space for a landscape designer and a hairstylist. Built over the couple’s bungalow in East Austin, the addition fits just above the roofline and just below the city setback tent. Rooms have small footprints but expand up for added volume, and the split-level plan provides pockets for storage and mechanical space throughout. The Perch sits on steel columns that pierce through existing bungalow walls to tie the foundations together, and interior walls work to resist lateral forces. The steel frame was built off site and craned and welded into place in a single day, disturbing the site only minimally.